Rhizophora mangle

Red Mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle )

The Red Mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle ) is a species within the family of Rhizophoragewächse ( Rhizophoraceae ).

The Red Mangrove is a common mangrove tree. Your natural range includes the tropical coast of West Africa and North and South America. The northern-most reserves are found in the Bahamas and in Florida ( USA), the southern limit of distribution is located in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. An introduced population exists in Hawaii. Maybe with Rhizophora mangle is identical morphologically very similar, pacific kind Rhizophora samoensis. Rhizophora mangle is adapted to survival in the mangrove tidal range. Their occurrence is limited to the coastal area. In all year strongly influenced freshwater areas Rhizophora mangle will not or only sporadically on.

Description

Red mangroves can reach a height of about thirty meters, but form under unfavorable conditions, such as nutrient deficiency, at very high salt content of the pore water in the substrate or in the cooler northern and southern border areas of their range bushy dwarf forms from. Like all species of the genus Rhizophora mangle R. characterized by arcuate stilt roots from. The stilt roots and in older trees cracked, brownish to light gray bark carry many lenticels. The visible after cutting the bark thick bark is reddish; the name " red mangrove " may be due to its coloring.

The oval, undivided and ganzrandigen leaves are leathery. Leaf size and shape vary with environmental conditions. The upper side of older leaves is dark green glossy, the underside is covered with bright and black, lenticellenartigen points. Very young leaves are light green. The tip of the leaves is dull and slightly bent downward; The petiole is strong. The leaves are arranged on opposite sides. Only the uppermost, most recent area of shoots bears leaves and forms branches that culminate on the older engines. The lateral buds of older branch portions quickly lose the ability to drive off. The top bud each drive is enclosed by the two large stipules ( stipules ) as of a hood. The stipules are dropped upon deployment of a new pair of leaves.

The inflorescence of R. mangle stems in a leaf axil. It is branched once or twice in the rule; from a branching can occur two to four axles or flower stalks. The flower buds are elongated and thickened in the lower town, and its tip is slightly rounded. The hermaphrodite flowers are wind -pollinated. The four stout, green or yellowish - green, fused at the base of sepals are lanceolate; they may continue to fruit maturity. The four whitish, hairy petals are dropped quickly. The gray-brown, conical fruit is leathery - hard. Like all taxa of the R. mangle Rhizophoreae is " viviparous "; the seedlings with their pin-shaped, 15 to more than 20 cm long, green hypocotyl develop on the mother tree and after dropping in a position to take root quickly under favorable conditions; but they also survive month-long drifting in the tidal current.

Possible confusion with other mangrove species

The inflorescences of the other two occurring in parts of the range of Rhizophora species ( R. racemosa, R. harrisonii ) are often branched dichotomously. The inflorescence of R. mangle is only branched once or twice, but places the branch point often produced more than two axles or flower stalks. The hypocotyl of the seedlings of R. racemosa is typically much longer than that of R. mangle seedlings. From mangrove species of other genera differs R. mangle significantly by the sweeping arc-shaped stilt roots that branch out further near the ground.

Use, hazardous

The hard, heavy and brittle wood of R. mangle is used locally as fuel and for the production of charcoal. Rods from young stems are used by fishermen for construction of large pots and similar constructions. A decoction of the bark tannin is used for the impregnation of fishing nets and sailing; peeling living strains, however, can lead to the death of individual areas of the tree crown or the whole plant. The species R. mangle is not currently endangered due to their wide distribution; the ecosystem of the mangrove is, however, often threatened, for example by investing at shrimp farms.